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Asbestos on the Job Exposure

Over 100 Firefighters Possibly Exposed to Asbestos

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possible asbestos exposure

More than 100 firefighters and civilians were possibly exposed to asbestos in Austin, Texas. The potential exposure came while fighting a 3-alarm fire in a city-owned abandoned warehouse.  Through a survey contracted by the Building Services Department in 2013, asbestos was discovered in three buildings on the property. It was found in drywall, ceilings, flooring and floor adhesive in all three buildings, including the warehouse that burned. Preparation to demolish all these buildings was underway before the fire.

Firefighters were not aware they were possibly exposed to asbestos

Until the third alarm unit arrived on the scene, the firefighters and civilians were unaware of the possibility of asbestos. The incident report stated, “Although best precautions were taken to avoid exposure after notification, the fire was very significant and the smoke produced from the fire swirled throughout the fireground with multiple shifts in the wind while units were on scene. All firefighters and civilians on the fireground could have a possible exposure to asbestos.” 

Dangers of asbestos exposure

Asbestos is a highly carcinogenic mineral. Its microscopic fibers can embed in lungs when inhaled. This can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. All three diseases are harmful, but mesothelioma has no cure at this time and is fatal. It can take many decades after exposure before a victim is diagnosed.

Buildings, commercial and residential, often contained asbestos. It was a common building material until the early 1980s. It was in shingles, insulation, ceiling tiles, tile mastic and many other materials. If asbestos remains undisturbed, the fibers are not released. However, with remodeling or an accident, such as this fire, airborne fibers may lead to a possible exposure to asbestos. Removing asbestos requires abatement professionals. There is no safe level of exposure.

Firefighters deserve respect

Asbestos is not the only danger firefighters’ encounter. From falling structural pieces, to unknown chemicals or other hazardous materials stored inside, to environmental factors such as wind and storms, they remain focused. The president of the Firefighters Cancer Support Network, Bryan Frieders, said “firefighters are in danger and can be exposed to up to 200 cancer causing chemicals when they go into a burning building. Yet we still see firefighters on a daily basis going into these known-dangerous situations to try to save lives.”

Frieder said, “A lot of retirees two, three, four or five years after they retire are being diagnosed [or decades in the case of asbestos]. That’s a significant problem for us. They took an oath to serve the city they are serving. There is an expectation that the city they are serving is going to take care of them — and their families.”

The firefighters exposed in this fire were given chest X-rays as a baseline in case they develop lung problems in the future.

Cause unknown

A film crew had recently vacated the building. Employees of Building Services inspected the building three hours before the fire started. At the time of the fire, officials didn’t know exactly what, if anything, was stored in the building. Currently, the cause of the fire is unknown.

Asbestos, Quebec Has A New Name

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Asbestos, Quebec has a new name after an emotional search for a new name to replace the one that once proclaimed the town’s pride as a well-known global exporter of asbestos.

The name discussion began

After years as a global supplier of asbestos from the nearby Jeffrey Mine, there was a suggestion in 2006 that a name change would benefit the town. This was rejected by many. Asbestos produced livelihoods for the community for 141 years. Even with it’s tarnished reputation as a deadly mineral, it continued its emotional attachment to many in the town. Generations worked the mine and it brought prosperity to Asbestos, Quebec.

The name discussion continued

The Jeffrey Mine closed in 2011. That made it necessary to bring in new businesses, but few were willing to attach their names to a town called Asbestos. For decades it was known that asbestos, while it had many good qualities, had negatives that were far grimmer. Exposure to asbestos can bring about lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma – a disease that can take decades to diagnose, but can kill within a year to five years. Patients rarely live any longer. Residents of Asbestos experienced the ravages of this disease, so were aware of the price paid for the years of prosperity.

With the facts undeniable, the mayor once again brought up a name change in 2019. While the emotions were still there, with many against a change, four potential names were presented to the citizens. None of these was a clear winner, so eventually six names were submitted for a vote. Residents 14 years and older were eligible.

Asbestos, Quebec has a new name

On October 19, after three rounds of voting, Val-des-Sources won with 51% of the vote. Translated, the name means “Valley of the Springs.” Nearly half the eligible population voted, 3,000 residents in all.

Huges Grimard, mayor, said, “I know that changing the name is a very emotional subject — for us, too — since the beginning. But to have all the citizens who came out to vote, that tells me that we succeeded in winning over the population, and that makes me very proud.”

Use an Asbestos Abatement Contractor to Demo Single-Family Homes

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Hiring an asbestos abatement contractor is the safest way to contain asbestos fibers when renovating structures built prior to 1980. However, the Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations don’t apply to dwellings with under four residences. This means that homeowners considering remodeling – or clean up after a disaster – have the responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors by following known guidelines.

Protection of a home containing asbestos

When it’s time to remodel, if you have a home built before 1980, you probably have asbestos in tiles, drywall joint compound, mastic, insulation, shingles, popcorn ceilings, or another of the many uses for asbestos in construction. It is impossible to recognize visually, so a prudent homeowner will contract with a professional abatement company. They can test and let you know if it’s safe to proceed or if abatement is necessary. Why is this important? There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. When undisturbed it poses no harm, but if it has deteriorated, or it experiences drilling, sawing, sanding, breaking – fibers are released and can be inhaled. Once in the lungs, it can cause serious diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, or the fatal disease – mesothelioma.

Contractors may be unaware or just not care

demolition lacking an asbestos abatement contractor
Dangerous demolition

Contractors often don’t take the dangers of asbestos seriously. They proceed to demolition without testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), or precautions. As they proceed, dust is created that may contain asbestos. This fiber-laden dust doesn’t affect only the person doing the job, but the entire building, anyone in it, the surrounding properties, as well as the clothing and vehicles of the workers.  As a famous asbestos scientist once stated “asbestos dust doesn’t recognize trade classifications” – meaning that once the fiber is liberated it poses a hazard to anyone that comes in contact with it.  For improperly demolished residences, that risk can extend to the families of construction workers, and in many cases, the neighbors of the demolished property.

Hiring an asbestos abatement contractor

While hiring an abatement company to test before that happens may seem an unnecessary expense, it can save lives and is relatively inexpensive. If asbestos is found, the abatement contractor knows the best methods to either repair damage to an asbestos product or remove it completely.

Mountain Creek Generating Plant Is A Dallas Legacy

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Mountain Creek Generating Plant is a Dallas legacy, though much of its past had undesirable consequences.  

Mountain Creek Lake sounds like such a pleasant place to relax and enjoy the scenery. In actuality, the lake was built, not for relaxation, but as a cooling reservoir for the Mountain View, more generally known as Mountain Creek, power plant. The plant was built starting in 1938, with additional units built in 1945, 1949, 1956, 1958, and 1967. Through the years, it was also called the Dallas Power and Light Mountain Creek Station, Mountain Creek Steam Electric Station, and Mountain Creek S-E Generating Station.

What was the Mountain Creek Generating Plant? 

Mountain Creek was a steam generating power plant that ran turbines, which then generated electricity. Steam plant built in this time period commonly had pipes, steam-lines and steam driven equipment which were extremely hot and therefore were built using asbestos-containing insulation. In addition, gaskets and rope packing were made from asbestos and used on steam flanges and steam powered equipment, like pumps, valves, turbines, and boilers. Steel surfaces also had fireproofing made from asbestos. 

Workers at most power plants through the 1980s were likely exposed to asbestos. In fact, if a power plant was built before 1980, it is almost a certainty that asbestos was in the facility or in the products made there. Because asbestos is comprised of microscopic fibers that are easily inhaled, workers in the plant – and sometimes their families – daily inhaled these fibers, creating a health problem for the future. Asbestos diseases are often fatal, especially mesothelioma. Other diseases include lung cancer and asbestosis. After an individual is exposed to asbestos, it can take 20 to 40 years or more for symptoms to develop. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.

What has happened to Mountain View?

In 2018, Exelon Generation Co LLC, going through bankruptcy, sold Mountain Creek along with three other power plants to their creditors.  Two of the generators were retired by that time.

Photo Courtesy of Edwin J. Foscue Map Library, Southern Methodist University

Veterans Day is a National Thank You to All Who Served

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While Veterans Day began as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’,” we now set aside November 11th as a time to honor our military men and women as a national thank you to all who served and are serving our country.

The history

1919

Armistice Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in a message one year after the end of World War I. In it he stated, “To us in America the reflection of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.”

1924

In June, 1924, Congress requested a resolution from President Calvin Coolidge to deliver an annual proclamation for the observance of November 11th with “appropriate ceremonies.”

1938

Congress approved an Act on May 13, 1938 making each November 11th a legal holiday, “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”

1945

In 1945, Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, determined all veterans, not just those who served in WWI, should be celebrated. He led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who also supported the idea of a national Veterans Day. In many ways, Mr. Weeks is the “Father of Veterans Day” as we know it today.

1947

The first national celebration was held in Alabama and led by Mr. Weeks.

1954

On May 26, 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill establishing Armistice Day as a national holiday. Just a week later, Congress amended the new law by changing the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

1971

In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. However, seven years later it was returned to November 11th, but celebrated on either Friday or Monday if it occurs on the weekend.

How can we say thank you to all who served?

Many who served, especially those on ships, were exposed to asbestos in addition to the dangers of their service. From WWII through Vietnam, veterans faced this unseen danger. Many ships continued in service long after Vietnam. In fact, of the almost 3,000 Americans diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma annually, a significant percentage of them served in the U.S. Navy.

Though the asbestos fibers were unseen, they were throughout the ships: fireproofing, steam lines, pumps, boilers, condensers, evaporators, distillers, turbines, deck material, and electrical equipment.

Since there can be 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, service men and women still suffer from diseases brought about through exposure on ships. In those same years, those at home were also exposed through building materials or other occupations.

Banning asbestos in the United States is long overdue. Let your voice be heard by contacting the EPA and letting them know you want a ban. There is no safe level of exposure. While we can’t turn back the clock for our military men and women who suffered exposure, we can say “thank you” by working to prevent exposure to their children and grandchildren. Click here to find out how you can be heard.